It's a title made all the more remarkable because a year ago today, he was the Biggest Stud in Sports: Defending Heisman winner, defending national champ, returned to college for the fun of his senior year.

A year later, he's the poster boy for all that's wrong in sports.

His return to USC was a dud: No Heisman (not even the best QB) and no national title. He even left a small NCAA scandal behind.

His draft stock plummeted, in a nationally televised green room debacle. He went from being a lock as the No. 1 pick in 2005 all the way to No. 10 in 2006.

And now, officially, he's the lone holdout among all NFL first-round draft picks. This is the worst position to be in of all.

Apparently, Leinart feels he's worth more money than his double-digit draft position. The Cards, to their fiscal credit, disagree.

The thing is: NO ONE has sympathy for the NFL rookie holdout. The offered money is too good -- and the camp reps WAY too valuable.

So what happened to the Golden Boy of 2005? Maybe it was all an act to begin with. All fans have to go on is how he's acting now.

(For contrast, see Broncos draftee Jay Cutler, one pick behind Leinart, who has already moved up to No. 2 on the Denver depth chart.)

Only a true jerk can screw up the "savior" status anointed by a group as desperate for something to hope for as hard-luck Cards fans.

It's all the more frustrating that Leinart can repair things so easily: Suck it up and sign a contract. Get into camp. Prove your value.

Because for now, Leinart is no Heisman hero. He's no national champ. He's no top draft pick. He's no media darling. He's no hotshot QB.

He's just a holdout: A jerk.

Liria NO!!!Insult + Injury = Twins Doom

The insult? Francisco Liriano was shellacked (again) by the Tigers, giving up four runs and a season-high 10 hits, giving him a 7.63 ERA against Detroit this season (compared to 1.39 vs. the rest of MLB).

The injury is injury! He pitched so poorly because his elbow could be shot. Liriano says it "bothered me on every pitch" and that he's "scared." Which should scare the hell out of Twins fans.

More Bengals ProblemsI've never heard of a modern NFL team going into actual training camp lockdown, but the Bengals are a good candidate.

I'm not talking metaphorical lockdown; I'm talking "Oz" lockdown. Because, at the rate they're going, all their players will be there anyway.

The latest: Guard Eric Steinbach was arrested over the weekend for boating under the influence.

As a Pro Bowl alternate last season, he's the most prominent Bengals player yet of the six-pack that has gotten into trouble this offseason.

If the Bengals were a college team, Marvin Lewis would have been fired by now. It's worth asking again: Does he have ANY control over his team?

Livan Hernandez to D'backs: 'Zona put in a waivers claim, then gave up two decent minor league starting pitchers to get a major league starter for the stretch run.

Wow: How close was Joe Girardi to either quitting or being fired by Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria on Sunday? Given that Girardi is my NL Manager of the Year, Loria would be crazy to alienate one of his team's best assets.

"Juice Box Night" for Jose Canseco when his minor league team visits Fullerton for a game on Thursday. Bad taste? Please: It's about time fans were able to have a laugh at baseball's steroids scandal.

Paul Lo Duca ScandalIf having his alleged adultery on the front page of the New York tabloids isn't bad enough, now Paul Lo Duca has to deal with worse:

The "second-day" effect of ripple coverage: The city's various papers are battling to see who can dig up the dishiest dirt.

If the New York Post broke yesterday's story about his wife's accusations of adultery, the New York Daily News raised the bar with details of an alleged gambling problem.

Lo Duca told the paper that all the bets were made legally, on horses (never on sports) and over the Internet (because you can't find ANY gateway to sports gambling there).

Adultery makes fans giggle; if you were a star pro athlete, I bet you'd think about it, too. But gambling makes everyone a wee bit uneasy

MLB ComebackThe MLB Comeback Player of the Year award ballot came out Monday for fans to vote on, and I'd look to the All-Star "Final Vote" for foreshadowing of the outcome:

In the NL, Nomar Garciaparra feels like a lock, just as he was in the "Final Vote." He has name recognition, plays in a big market (with a sizzling team) and has the stats to back it up in a great rebound year.

In the AL, I think it'll come down to two players: White Sox DH Jim Thome and the player he replaced, A's DH Frank Thomas.

Big Hurt's bounce-back is more remarkable, but given Chicago's success in marketing fan-vote campaigns, don't bet against a "Me for Thome" campaign.

Emmitt: Dancer?After reading a report that future Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith will be on the new season of "Dancing with the Stars," I'm prepared to make the following claims:

Smith will outdo Kenny Mayne (which isn't hard, considering that Mayne was the first contestant eliminated in last season's "DWTS" premiere).

But Smith can't possibly top Jerry Rice, who was last season's runner-up (likely the greatest reality-show career of any NFLer ever).